Not too long ago in my post about Reducing my Plastic Use I wondered what I would do for trash bags when I use reusable shopping bags and the flow of plastic bags into my home slows.
I asked and the internet answered with this piece from Grist.
- Their advice- Make less trash, use less bags, and talk to your city and waste disposal company and see what they have to say on the subject.
Great article today in the NYTimes- Are We Ready to Track Carbon Footprints? (Published March 25, 2008) I got really excited because it just makes so much sense. Marketers know how to get consumers to behave a certain way, so why can't we apply that to convince consumers to be greener?
They found that associating behavior with actual costs (like conserving energy), comparing behavior with social norms, and just giving people a nudge in the right direction, could do quite a bit towards decreasing our carbon output.
So, lets get some marketing people on this! I hope to see more of this soon!
Bathroom Cleaner Reviews
The Grist's product reviews are not scientific, but usually interesting. I found this one on Green-cleaning supplies for the bathroom, where they found the cheap old fashioned ingredients work better than the ones that you can buy.
You don't really need a pantry-full of expensive cleaning supplies, all you need is some good old fashioned ingredients and a little elbow grease. You can breathe a little easier knowing you aren't spraying irritants in your air or dumping toxins down the drain.
Green cleaning supplies can be a better alternative to conventional cleaning supplies, which contain ingredients toxic to you and the environment (see this fact sheet). While the Grist review suggests Borax, most people don't realize what you can do with things you probably already have in your cabinets. They are cheap, safe, and they work.
My bathroom cleaning arsenal contains a box of baking soda, a spray bottle of vinegar water, and Dr. Bronner's Castille soap (multipurpose in the bathroom, more on that later!) See My List of Bathroom Cleaning Supplies
Update- How to Recycle CFL's
My CFLs are still going strong, looking good, and my electric bill has gone down. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm not complaining.
I found some more information on CFLs at Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs – A Tale From Dust to Dust
If you're still not convinced, see this data from the article:
"If a CFL bulb lasts for longer than 50hrs, then the total life cycle energy consumption of the CFL will be lower than that of an incandescent bulb even though they are more complicated to make."
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